TROY, OHIO—The Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability (HCFS), a nonprofit, industry-wide forum supporting the foodservice industry’s drive for sustainable equipment and design, is currently accepting applications for its annual $5,000 sustainability grant. The 2013 HCFS grant recipient was Duluth Grill in Duluth, Minn. The grant, now in its seventh year, is awarded to the individual or organization judged to have the best-executed foodservice or grocery sustainability project of the year. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. ET on February 28, 2014, and the recipient will be announced in mid-April. The grant application form as well as rules and conditions...

CARTERSVILLE, GA.—Shaw Industries Group, Inc. has installed solar panels on the roof of its carpet tile manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Ga. The installation is expected to produce approximately 1.4 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of power annually—enough to power approximately 100 homes in Georgia each year. Feeding into the Georgia Power electric grid, Shaw will use this renewable energy to help power its Plant 15 (also known as Plant X), a facility that produces carpet tile for the commercial market.“Within Shaw’s holistic approach to sustainability, we continually explore opportunities to improve energy efficiency and employ renewable and alternative energy sources,”...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Sustainable Travel International announced collaboration on a platform for sustainable destinations worldwide. The new joint program includes networking opportunities through the GSTC’s Destination Membership, and Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Destination Leadership Network (SDLN). These programs, which are now available at a combined price, provide destinations with an opportunity for learning, idea sharing, advocacy, and collaboration on a global scale. “Collaboration is the essence of sustainable tourism,” stressed Mauro Marrocu, CEO of GSTC. “Partnering in areas of common interest and responsibility will increase each organization’s ability to achieve its mission, and will increase...

LONDON—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced its Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) results, charting substantial improvements in both its Disclosure Score and Performance Rating. The CDP results, which were released in October 2013, saw IHG achieve an overall score of 85B in the Climate Change submission for 2013—a significant rise from its 2010 score of 54C.  IHG’s substantial improvements this year have been driven primarily by the success of IHG’s Green Engage program, an online system that tracks the use of energy, carbon, water and the management of waste in properties along with the associated costs. It comprises more than 200...

LAS VEGAS—Green Chips, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing Nevada's sustainability identity, has launched a Community Web Portal to inspire collaborative initiatives among Southern Nevada's businesses, municipalities, organizations and citizens. The site will also function as a resource for individuals and businesses looking to be informed on, and connect with all areas of sustainability.“Sustainability is a multifaceted subject and all areas need to be represented to help our community grow,” said Rick Van Diepen, Executive Director of Green Chips. “We have developed this community portal, with underwriting from the Caesars Foundation, to become the pre-eminent resource for businesses and individuals...

NEW YORK—At the 2013 Boutique Design New York (BDNY) Conference, MindClick Global, a leader in supply chain sustainability performance and sourcing solutions, and Marriott International announced the next phase in their partnership to green the hospitality industry supply chain. “We are excited to announce a 50 percent increase in supplier participation of the MindClick Global Sustainability Index program in just two months, which places us on target to achieve Marriott’s goal of spending 75 percent of our furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) dollars by yearend 2013,” said Dave Lippert, vice president, Architecture  & Construction Procurement, Marriott International. “With the...

NEW YORK—Designtex announced that Susan Lyons, president of Designtex, will be honored as a Legacy Innovator at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s inaugural Innovation Celebration event, which will be held in New York on November 15 to recognize leaders in product design innovation as they create better products for our world.This award recognizes Lyons’s pioneering role as a passionate but practically minded advocate for environmental sustainability in textile design. In 1993, Lyons, then Creative Director of Designtex, began to research the possibility of developing a collection of ecological fabrics. But at that time no one knew exactly...

ITHACA, N.Y.—“The Giving Bag,” a concept to save hotels money on lost and left behind items, is the winning concept in the third annual Cornell student sustainability competition, sponsored by Schneider Electric, a partner of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research. The competition is conducted in conjunction with the annual Sustainability Roundtable at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration (SHA). The roundtable brought nearly three dozen international hotel practitioners and researchers to the school to discuss current sustainability trends and strategies.Creators of “The Giving Bag,” Lilia Karimi and Quinn Cox, both students at SHA, won the first-place prize of...

NASHVILLE—A&M Meetings and Incentives recently announced that The Hermitage Hotel is among the five hotels in the nation it invited to participate in its new sustainable events program.“From growing our own vegetables and raising our own beef to restoring and maintaining our historic building and supporting the Land Trust for Tennessee, sustainability is infused in The Hermitage Hotel,” said Janet Kurtz, director of sales and marketing. “We are deeply committed to preserving what is best about the South and southern hospitality, including the lush environment that makes our region so inviting. We are honored to be among the handful...

PLANTATION, FLA.—DHL was honored recently with a SmartWay Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as an industry leader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency.SmartWay recognized DHL Express U.S. for its initiatives and efforts that reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions within its operations. By the end of this year, DHL Express will have replaced more than 50 percent of its pick-up and delivery fleet with more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles—all part of a strategic, five-year fleet planning effort that best aligns vehicle demand against the most appropriate vehicle selection.“Environmental protection and sustainability...